Make Trades Great Again
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Make Trades Great Again
Getting Ahead: Business Strategy for Seasonal Changes
Are you truly prepared for the subtle and not-so-subtle changes the shifting seasons bring on your business? We're sharing our experiences and practical tips on how to adapt and thrive during these seasonal transitions. From the simple tasks like removing non-freeze safe items from your van to the more complex ones like recalibrating combustion analyzers, we've got you covered. We also highlight what types of materials you need to stock up on, like venting for boilers, water heaters, and furnaces, along with gas pipe and CSST.
When colder weather hits, are you ready to navigate the challenges it brings? This episode is packed with insights on preparing for the heating season and maintaining an efficient inventory. We delve into the importance of having a well-stocked supply to lessen the need for ordering items for each job. Amidst the fluctuating supply market and rising metal prices, we provide strategies on how to make pre-ordering items from suppliers work for you. We also discuss tools and supplies designed to withstand cold weather, along with tips for winterizing your home. So listen in, gain practical knowledge, and get ready to conquer any season!
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Eric Aune @mechanicalhub
Andy Mickelson @mick_plumb
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We are recording. Is it ticking on your end? It's. It's live. Looks like it's going to explode. It's we're live recording right now Dude trends Groundbreaking, groundbreaking, epic video. If you're over on YouTube, you're going to be able to see this now, which I call YouTube. This is a bonus session. This is a bonus. Okay, this is really exciting 20 seconds of super excitement. Hey everybody, welcome to the Make Traits Great Again podcast. I'm Eric, he's Andy. Hey, got that right this time. That's right. How many times I've said I'm Andy, he's Eric?
Speaker 2:The couple yeah, yeah, but you know, one or two and two, fifty or so isn't too bad.
Speaker 1:Not too bad. Not too bad. Hey, seasons are changing, dude, that's right. Seasons are changing. It's we're into September and that means for a lot of people throughout the country we're transitioning to. That's the seasons are transitioning, seasons, seasons. Yes, the transition is on to go from, maybe, cooling to heating. Yeah, or maybe you don't do cooling and heating, maybe you're just doing kind of your, your typical service stuff, but now you're going to start looking at winterizing or, yep, you know that kind of stuff different. Basically, the changes season is going to bring about change in the work. Yep, and you were talking about this just kind of getting things prepared, right, yeah, what are you doing in the shop, what are you doing on the vans? That kind of thing.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm looking at a couple of things. One of them is on the trailer, on our install trailer I'm going to start looking at. You know, what do we got on there that's not freeze capable. You're free, safe. You know, boiler chemical, that kind of stuff that's going to come out. Go to the shop.
Speaker 2:A few other things that we're looking at the some of the refrigeration equipment that's on my van, that's taking up shelf space, is going to relocate out of the van into the shop and it's going to be replaced by more heating equipment or heating parts. You know some of that stuff. I mean real simple stuff. But the other thing I'm doing is gearing up Something I was thinking about the other day. It's time probably past time to be shipping my combustion analyzers off to get recalibrated. Make sure they're back and ready to go for the heating season. You know, for any of you guys that are out there, guys and gals that are doing backflow testing, if you're in a northern climate, make sure that that backflow testers find in a new home, not on your van at night, not out in the park, not out on the driveway in the freeze, subzero temperatures.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of hard on those differential gauges to turn them into a little ice cube. Yeah, to freeze and break.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're nuts. Yeah, I guess for me it's more like material kind of stuff. My van is pretty close to my tools, kind of stay on. Yeah, as far as like I don't. Well, I guess, just getting into the cooling stuff a little bit as I have, I guess, yeah, I do have to make that switch over stuff taking up space that I'm not, it's not going to need in the middle of winter, yeah, but for me it's materials like I'm going to have to start. It's less van related than it is shop.
Speaker 1:Sure, I got to start making sure I've got we talked about this a little bit recently but making sure I've got my good stock of venting for the boilers, water heaters, furnace venting stuff like that. I'm going to look at what do I have in stock for stuff I can easily keep on hand that isn't a big liability for cost is like gas pipe. What do I have so I can grab and go when it's time to do change out stuff. That's going to slow me down or slow down the project by having to add on order stuff like that. I'd rather just be ordering equipment. I guess, when it comes to doing change outs, yeah, instead of ordering equipment and this just giant mile long list of materials too. So some of those things I can keep on hand and I'm okay with keeping on hand because I can order a bundle of black iron pipe. I can order a roll of soft copper because we're using that for gas a lot, or I can use in the case of CSST, like you guys, that's more common for you. I could order a roll of that now or a couple of rolls of that now, versus having to order as the job goes. This kind of seasonal transition allows you to assess what you've got and look at what you've used in the past and then make that decision to, before you need it, have it on hand, right, and everybody makes that decision.
Speaker 1:I think just having the shop now I do I've talked about so many times not stocking things, but having the shop now I can stock a little bit more and what I'm stocking are those really everyday universal things. And also I'll look at some items, as you know, like. This is what binds me up when I go to order. Let's say, if I'm going to do a boiler change out Last minute, they call it, they got no heat. That kind of thing I hate when I can't get pumps Yep. It seems like such a normal thing. It seems like I should be able to get a pump for a hydronic system of any type, any size, any flavor, at any given time, and it's just not the case. So having pumps, having zone valves and the relays and controls for those, I think are just the easy things to put on the shelf so I can grab and go as needed. Yep.
Speaker 2:I agree. I mean, I look at things that we are stocking this time of year that we don't in the summer, and I don't know why I don't because lately we've been doing boiler installs pretty much year round. And so one of the things that I find myself commonly stocking Webstone expansion tank service valves. For whatever reason, they're almost never on the shelf at the supply house. I don't know why, sure, but that little two-way service valve, that thing is killer. The like a hold right expansion tank mounting bracket. I have cases of those, because anytime you're out servicing a boiler, if you've got a failed expansion tank and it's hanging off the bottom of your piping and it's pipe crap just terribly. Put that bracket on the wall, move it, put the new expansion tank on the wall, pipe back over to it. That's a tiny improvement. An hour sale. It's a little bit extra work, but it's just a huge improvement over. Well, you guys have seismic too.
Speaker 1:so, like you have to strap tanks, don't you? No, we can still hang them off.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we can still hang them off of it, off of the pipe, so long as the manufacturer says in the instructions that it can be supported by the pipe connection, and that's. There's a couple of cheap brands I'm not sure I don't remember what that I guess might be the Watts or the Flow Pro Flexcon or something.
Speaker 2:No, flexcon is good to go. That's actually one of my favorite go-to tank. But side note, did you know that that tank, the Flexcon, tank when you you know you have, when it has water in it. The water is nowhere in contact with the metal except the stainless steel nipple. It's completely enclosed in a polypropylene bottle with a the diaphragm in it.
Speaker 1:I've cut open Flexcon tanks and I can't say that that's true Really. Who won? Yeah, as far as I know, yeah, it's just a tank.
Speaker 2:It's got a plastic liner in it that has oh, let's have some kind of coating liner.
Speaker 1:I don't know that I couldn't.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:OK, yeah, or maybe a new and I'm cutting old, I don't know. Well, on the tank thing, I switched over to the Zilmit tanks and I think they're better. But whatever, zilmits are nice.
Speaker 2:I like their flat one actually for a lot of cases, but I like that it's got a bracket.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so like just the on the shelf kind of stuff. I think I've found out over the years I think everybody does. Might take a little while, but once you've kind of found your groove, you use a lot of the same things over and over. Yeah, and those are the opportunities to stock things. And look, this is pretty basic and people that have been doing this for years and you're like, yeah, you dummy.
Speaker 1:But I'm also coming from the perspective of having worked out in my garage for over 15 years and stocking things was, it was just almost prohibitive in a way. You know what I mean? It was order as I needed it kind of thing. Maybe you always had one or two on hand but not enough to go complete jobs, Right. And I'm looking at what I can do to be more efficient so I have less transactions monthly, so I'm less reliant on hey, can I get this on time? And I'm taking this annual kind of switch of seasons to address that Right.
Speaker 1:And I found out last year and made a huge difference All winter long. I had started with a small amount of stock and I maintained it through the winter and it was less stress In a very stressful time of year for me because it's my busiest time, Yep, and I don't have somebody back at the shop ordering things and stuff like that. So it's to me talking to whoever might be listening that's in the same similar situation, out there running in the truck, running the businesses, things like that which you are doing as well. I mean, you're still out in the field. Yeah, it takes away from your opportunity to make sure things are in order on a regular basis. So using this kind of time of year to do it is big for me.
Speaker 2:Yep, I do the same. I mean, I always say, oh yeah, we're going to hit September, we're going to get a little lull in the action. You know it's going to be this slow season or slower season. You know we're not doing as much AC stuff and we're not quite into heating season, and this year that ain't going to happen. I mean, heck, we're going to be. You're going to be coming out to Montana here shortly. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:That's out of the bag, dude, that's out. So I am coming to Montana. Yeah, heating season. No, we're going to come out and do a job together. It's going to be a blast. I'm looking forward to it. But prior to that, I got to be ready for when I do return. Right, I'm already taking some of the calls right now. Like I said, just the other day, I did a boiler. It wasn't a heat related thing, but it's any time, basically, and it's now is what we're talking about and I got to get on top of it.
Speaker 1:Also, take into consideration, if you're new to this, talk to your suppliers, your local suppliers, and just straight up ask them you got any specials Because it's the heating season now, or that's a big thing for me has been for years, and COVID changed a little bit of that. My favorite one went away and I wish it would come back. But Gooden Company, who I buy through here locally, big, regional, phenomenal supplier. They don't sponsor podcasts oh, they should, no, gooden, they used to do a fall heating special when you bought. They put everything in this catalog, online, in paper, whatever you want to. Pre-order type stuff Pre-, order, yeah, and you got to. There were discounts attached to it. Yeah, just so that they could set their quantities proper and not be out of things immediately just because somebody came in and bought that whole pallet worth and at that point in time it used to get press fittings like 15, 20% off of them and I would buy for almost the entire year. They don't do that anymore. I wish they did.
Speaker 2:Why aren't they doing that?
Speaker 1:Did they say, uh, it was during COVID, when the price of the metal prices went like through the roof. They just stopped yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, and to be honest, I mean those guys were getting beat up bad, just like we were. I mean, the nice thing about us is, you know, on our end of it is usually we can pass on that price adjustment to the customer and you know if it's. You know you got a dozen nineties on a job and they went up by 25%. You know it sucks it doesn't. It didn't cost a job any less and you can charge the customer for it. But from the wholesale side of it, I mean they had, I mean they've got stuff that they have ordered for jobs to come up with that gets sold or borrowed on the and now it costs more, and now it costs 25% more.
Speaker 2:But you can't pass it on because, guess what? It was on order in June and the price went up in August, and I mean yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And now I just I just like my advice to anybody listening I hit up my salespeople and just say look, it's changing the seasons. What's going on? What are you offering right now? Cause they are always going to have something, some kind of incentive. Either it's through their sales house or it's through, you know, coming from like the manufacturer side saying, hey, buy three of these boilers will give you a jacket. Whatever it is, I'm not buying stuff and selling it based off of whether I get a jacket, but this is how you just find the stuff out. There are incentives and it's usually surrounding, like that seasonal change, so don't forget that.
Speaker 1:Anything else, really, to wrap this up, what are you doing differently? Or what are you going to take to? You know, here's one thing If you're not doing it on a regular basis, just get in that vehicle and clean it out. Have your people, you have your tax out in the field cleaning. Like, this is the time to see what's on these vehicles and what you need or don't need, cause I'll bet you there's stuff in buckets and boxes, that in bins, that I'm going to tell you. I don't think you need a hundred. You know, three quarter inch press ball valves. You probably just need maybe, let's say, less than a dozen. You know on the vehicle, you know what I mean. Like you don't need that many. So like, well, was it? You had a van come back to the shop because a dude moved on to another job and you found like buckets and buckets of what was it Supply tubes or something like that.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, the one was was like a bucket of supply lines, but the other one was like that Moen plastic install wrench. Yeah, how many of those. There was like 18 of them on this?
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, they come with every faucet.
Speaker 2:Like you know, you probably keep one or two, I guess, but the rest can just go in the garbage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, If anything, use this time of year. Whether you change focus or not, you know, use this time of year to be like, okay, it's time, it's. You know, the batteries need changed in the smoke detector and the van needs clean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Well, I guess I guess that I mean there is one thing there that we you're speaking of batteries. You know you and I are pretty fortunate having a shop, heated shop, to park in. Yeah, that's a gigantic improvement over parking out in the street, especially with that press tool when you show up and the thing is ready to run. It's awesome, my guys both of them have some sort of a crate or milk box or milk crate or something like that that they'll run batteries, press tool, saws, all or hacks, all you know things that have grease that are, are they pecs, expanders and other one that goes in there, the more temperature, yeah, Temperature sensitive tools, Sensitive, yeah, and they'll pull that in and have it in the house at night. You know I got a. It'd be cool to figure out an easy way to do that.
Speaker 1:I've been telling look, look, I've been telling. I've been telling every manufacturer Makita, dewalt, rigid, rigid, orange, Milwaukee who else is there? Remz? I told Remz, make us a heated box. Yep, healthy, I told healthy. I just want a box, a toolbox, a case that is got like some kind of like ceramic heating element or something like that. It doesn't. I'm not that, run off your battery, looking for something freezing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, I'm not. Yeah, I was just gonna say I'm not looking for something that's like an instant pot that I can cook lunch in no, milwaukee the closest thing you can get is Makita has a Cooler that'll do heating or cooling.
Speaker 1:Okay, great. Why don't we all have that, although why don't they all have the option like? Here's a case because 50% of the country, north America, works where it's cold, won't we keep a? Won't we have a case that'll stay 40 degrees or 30, 45 degrees or something. Yeah, 35 degrees would be better than freezing, yeah, 20. Yeah, 40 would be perfect, really, for those press tools. But, and then electricians would benefit too, because these now you know these electricians are using these loppers and knockouts. They're all basically just press tools. Yep, and I Tell you firsthand like it sucks when you show up and don't work, and I've done it so many times. Yeah, and then for so many years my tools had to ride on the floorboard passenger seat Because, well, luckily I don't have somebody riding in that seat. No, not luckily, you know in this scenario.
Speaker 1:So that can sit there and war keep stay warm. So when I get to the job it works. Yeah, okay, cool, we're getting along on this man long. I gotta go inventory my gas pipe so I'm ready for my night change up what else? Expansion tanks.
Speaker 2:Oh hey, do your annual. Make a Facebook post, make a Google business post. Falls coming, unhook your hoses.
Speaker 1:There you go, yeah go wrong, can't go wrong with that one. Nope, it's a winner every time. Your neighbors are gonna love you, that's right. See you, man, good luck.
